After two years, they had a recidivism rate of 13 percent. A comparison group had a 40 percent recidivism rate.

After four years, 34 percent of them had a new conviction. Of the comparison group, 59 percent had a new conviction.

Of 926 active participants in the fiscal years 2012 and 2013, half had a misdemeanor charge, 49 percent had a felony charge, and 1 percent were charged with some other sort of offense.

In Jackson County:

There have been 38 graduates since 2009.

The ratio of males and females was even in 2013.

Last year, 65 percent were below the age of 35 and 58 percent were charged with a misdemeanor.

In 2013, 12 people graduated and 15 were discharged.

Sources: Coordinator Mary Jo Kennedy, An April memo to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, 2013 Michigan State Court Administrative Office report on state “problem solving courts”

The judge on Friday, May 16, only removed a stipulation she undergo random checks from probation agents.

But this was a victory, and in an unconventional court tasked with helping those who have often been alone and ignored, seemingly minor achievements are celebrated.

During the same court session, Klaeren applauded a man who earned back his driver's license, a participant who secured an apartment and another man with a markedly improved appearance and demeanor. "I'm proud of you," he told the man with the healthier look and assured a more discouraged participant to "keep up the faith on the job search."

In addition to addressing their psychiatric concerns, the specialty court, one of nine pilot programs in Michigan, tries to take care of the daily stresses that often hinder offenders' progress and achievement. It helps participants find housing, tackle substance abuse issues and secure employment.

The end goal is to ensure they are free from jail or prison, medicated, productive and law-abiding, objectives court authorities say they are having some success meeting.

Those who take part in the court are less likely to commit more crime, program leaders said.

Klaeren believes they also make fewer trips to the hospital emergency room, a place they might have previously gone to deal with crises they no longer have because they are seeing a psychiatrist and taking medication.

About 84 percent of fiscal year 2012 and 2013 graduates from the courts state-wide were compliant with their medication, a key to continued and sustained improvement, according to a 2013 State Court Administrative Office report on Michigan "problem solving courts."

The same report found after two years, mental health court participants across Michigan had a recidivism rate of 13 percent. A comparison group, individuals who are similar to the participants but did not receive the same treatment, had a 40 percent recidivism rate.

After four years, 34 percent were convicted of a new offense compared to 59 percent of the other group.

"For a significant majority of our individuals, we give them a stability they've never known and turn a number of them into tax-paying citizens," Klaeren said Monday.

"If we can get a period of clear thinking and a sense things are going their way, hopefully, what we teach them can become a life-long pattern."

Since October 2009, about the time the court secured grant funding from the State Court Administrative Office, 38 people have graduated from the program, which accepts felons and misdemeanants, Coordinator Mary Jo Kennedy said. The court, which has an annual budget of up to about $340,000, has a maximum capacity of 40 and most people, depending on their crime, remain in the court for 15 months to three years.

To be selected, a person has to be uninsured or on Medicaid and a Jackson County resident. They have to be charged or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor punishable by no more than five years in prison and have a serious mental illness, typically a major depressive or bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

The treatment team – made up of probation agents, a prosecutor, a defense lawyer and representatives from various relevant agencies or organizations – is looking for "truly ill people" whose crimes are somehow linked to their illnesses, the judge said.

Those with developmental disabilities are not admitted because they cannot achieve independence, a goal of the court.

People who are medicated and undergoing treatment and still committing crimes, and those whose illnesses are so severe they belong in hospitals also are denied admission, Klaeren said.

The acceptance rate is less than 50 percent – 26 of 81 applicants were selected last year – and a majority of people do not graduate.

Last year, 12 completed the program and 15 were discharged, according to a memo to the county board of commissioners.

Overall, the court's success rate is about 40 percent, Klaeren said.

This rate is significantly lower than the 60 to 70 percent of people who meet the requirements of typical district court probation.

Mental Health Court participants, however, face many difficulties and likely would not succeed on regular probation, Klaeren said.

Even those who fail to finish are having fewer contacts with the criminal justice system as a result of the tools the court provided them, Kennedy said.

While in the court, they have to meet many demands.

Klaeren, who dispenses much encouragement, also must admonish those who falter.

"You are not busy. It's just a question of motivation, and the motivation is not there," he told a man who complained earlier this month about the difficulty of meeting the program conditions. The judge then sent him to jail for various infractions, including a reluctance to give up marijuana.

Without access to mental health treatment, most of those who take part in the court use drugs or alcohol to "self-medicate."

Some are also poor or homeless and without a support network.

"Basically come up with as many obstacles you can think of, and that fits our community," Klaeren said.

If on typical probation, it is likely they will miss appointments, act out in the courtroom and fail to pay fines, Klaeren said.

Outside Mental Health Court, they would be going to jail or, potentially, prison, said Elizabeth Knoblauch, director of strategic relations at LifeWays Community Mental Health and a part of the court treatment team. "We as a community don't want that. It is more expensive to have that. We want them, as a community, to succeed."

Jerry Sleight, 21, spent nine to 10 weeks in jail for entering a church without permission and assaulting a police officer in May 2013. He said he acted out of "frustration mostly" and "snapped."

He had a hard time in jail because of his mental state, he said. He was hearing voices. He didn't know what was real. He was feeling cornered.

Sleight was glad to get into Mental Health Court, which allowed him to leave jail and have his problems addressed. The judge is understanding and Sleight appreciates his psychiatrist and case manager. "There are so many people behind you. It's a lot of help."

After trying 13 or 14 different medication combinations for schizoaffective disorder or some related diagnosis, he is taking what works best for him.

Without the program, he would be incarcerated, he said. "And I would have been hitting my head against the wall or something."

Knowing it could keep them free and possibly reduce their charges, he and others are required to see a psychiatrist, undergo a substance abuse evaluation and meet at least weekly with a case manager, Kennedy said. Most of them undergo individual therapy and some have to take regular drug tests.

They are getting attention they otherwise would not receive. "I our court, the people know the judge and the individuals on the treatment team actually care about them," Kennedy said.

Before she got to Mental Health Court, James had stopped taking her medication and got involved with "the wrong friends."

Now, she is on the proper medication and starting the process of earning her GED. She owns a house with a neat, furnished interior that she will proudly show a visitor, takes care of two small dogs and goes to church and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

She had a positive drug test last year when she used marijuana mixed with cocaine, but she has been clean for months. "I don't have no desire to get back on that stuff," she said.

The court has given her new perspective. "It really changed my way of thinking about life."

It is about doing the right thing, she said. "So used to doing wrong, you don't know what right is."

She is to complete the program in February, but she hopes to finish sooner. "I don't put no limitations on God."